Jackinghood
by musicaltheatregeek9934
Summary: Jack Red?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my version of how Little Red Riding Hood came to be, hope you all like it!**

Lily walked through the wood near her grandmother's house. She had on a brilliant red cloak that was dyed especially for her by granny herself. Ever since the day Lily had gotten it (As a gift for her eleventh birthday, she was now twelve.) she had preferred to be called Red. She stalked through the forest as though she were a hunter, looking for her unsuspecting prey. She never actually caught anything, just children made fun of her for this, seeing as though she had no friends. Whenever there was a twitch in the woods, Red knew. She was naïve though, not being afraid and trusting people unsuspectingly. She would often walk into town by herself to marvel at the things that salesmen sold on the street. Medicines and herbs that would make you live forever, plants that would bring luck to your home. All so enchanting to Red, she never thought that it all might be lies.

Today, as she headed down the path back to her own home she, realized it was getting dark. The clouded trees provided their usual shade, but it took her a minute to realize what time it was. Then she remembered, tonight was the night that the days began getting shorter and nights got longer. She pulled her cloak around her tighter, attempting to block the chill. When finally she saw her house in the distance, she stumbled in the front door. Her numb hands grasped for firewood, she laid log after log on the fire. Her mother walked out in a sleepy haze. "What on Earth do you think you're doing? Wasting our firewood like that, you know we save it for the coldest months!" Red was taken aback. She ran to her room in shame. It was barely November, but Red was freezing.

Her mother was a cold, bitter woman who wanted nothing to do with Red. She disregarded her wishes and called her Lily, instead of Red. She also sent her out of the house for hours to chop firewood, her only protection from the cold being her cloak. her cruelty left Red with the impression that mothers were evil. She often wondered what a real mother would be like, one who loved her. Most days she went to granny's house. She loved her grandmother dearly. She was the only person in the town who thought anything above peasant work girl of her. Sadly, her gran was getting old and was in a condition where she was bedridden. She often had spells like this in the winter. She worked for her everyday and cleaned and cooked.

One day, her mother scolded her to get out of the house asked to go into town to buy some milk. Red ran as fast as she could to get to the square. "Hello, sir, may I please have a gallon of milk? I have money." Red squeaked. everyone in town knew that she probably couldn't pay most of the time, but this man looked new.

"Take it." The salesman shoved a jug of milk across the counter. "That'll be six dollar kid, where do you plan to get _that_ money, eh?" He laughed, his accent caught her off guard, not sure where it was from she said,

"Are you new around here?"

"Don't let the accent get you off, born and raised a here. Where I'm from's a secret"

"Then how would you know if I wouldn't be able to pay or not?"

"Well you look like you walked here, and I had heard the rumors."

" _Rumors?!_ "

"Yes, everyone knows where you come from and why you wear that silly red cloak."

"Well then, _why?_ "

"Because you only make friends with old people and scavenge in the woods." He said this with some satisfaction, knowing that the look on her face meant it was true.

"Oh, well then," She scowled, annoyed and offended. She had never been insulted straightforwardly like that. Tears welled in her eyes, but she swallowed her them down and stood up tall. "get on with it. I really suggest you do before I leave without paying."

"Feisty, well, you hurry on your way. Don't want to be wastin' your _ever so precious_ time."

"Then I'll be off, thank you very much." Red stormed off, snatching the milk from the counter and shoving the money in his hand. She was appalled that he would dare be that rude to her. All the way back through the woods, she pondered the strange man. She had no clue that they thought of her that way. To her delight, She would never see that man again.


	2. Chapter 2

She was scared. That was all Red could say for herself. Walking through the woods alone was the scariest thing she did. Peering into the distance she saw a house, she had never seen this house before. She wondered if she had a new neighbor, or she was terribly lost. She was still in a mood from the man from the shop, she had never had someone so mean speak to her. She paced in circles in an unfamiliar part of the woods. It truly shook her up so only when the boy was in front of her did she notice him. He stared into her eyes for a moment, their lips almost touching. Finally he spoke. "Whatcha doin' here?" He whispered. "My mother's asleep so you best be quiet." She was amazed at his manners, she hadn't been scolded or shoved. No boy had ever even taken a look at her.

"Who are you?" She whispered softly. He had scruffy, dirty blonde hair. His eyes sparkled in the moonlight. She couldn't quite make out his features in the dark, but she could tell he was about her age or older.

"You can call me Jack, who are _you_?"

"I'm Re…Lily. I was walking in the woods and I got lost do you think you could tell me where I am?"

"Not after dark, come with me, you can stay in the barn, it is warm there." He grabbed her hand. "How long have you been out here for? You are so cold!"

"Umm… since before sunset at least. Please, I need to sleep." The fatigue of walking in the woods was just hitting her. It felt like she was going to fall asleep standing up. Jack helped her to a small shed that was remarkably warmer than the outside air.

"Hope you don't mind my cow, I'll be right back." He walked outside and let in a bit of freezing air inside. "Sorry." He murmured, looking at her face. He lit a candle and left it on a stool. Only now in the light could Red see her surroundings. There was a small hay bed covered in a thin sheet in the back left corner. A milking stool stood by the cow, who was on the left. She was sitting on a nest of hay and dirt. She gave her true name to Jack because he seemed to be able to handle the truth, like his life was like hers. He hadn't mentioned a father, did he have one? She got up and checked out the bed. It was more comfortable than her own bed at home. She laid down, tempted to close her eyes and slip into a dream, but it felt like she was already living one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Jack's POV**

He had been watching her for a while now, she was so interesting. She would dart between trees and duck at just the right times. She knew what she was doing and that scared him. She looked as though she did this every day. No one should have to do that. He slowly walked out of his hiding spot to query her. If she was lost, he would not hesitate to let her inside. Well, not the house, the barn. The only other inhabitant of the stable was his cow, Milky White. She was pretty and that drove him insane. Her two perfect braids hung down her shoulders and her soft grey eyes were all seeing. He assumed she was about his age. When he stopped in front of her, she didn't see him. They came so close, too close. He felt her breath on his face. He awkwardly asked her what she was doing. She was lost, of course.

His name was Jack. Hers was Lily. This all seemed vaguely familiar, as if they had met before under different circumstances. Then he remembered that they had seen each other in a town before, she was buying something and he was selling his milk. She had come and bought some of his trade and she had been polite.

After the awkward introduction, rushed her over to where his barn lay, about 50 yards from his house. He knew his mother would be extremely mad if she knew he was housing a girl.

When they reached the barn, he decided she would need a blanket. There was already a bed there because he often stayed with his cow for the night. He motioned her over to a pile of hay to sit on for the moment and left in a hurry. He was going inside to get one of the wool blankets that his mother and he owned.

The minute he got in the house, he could see his mother was still asleep. He crept through the house, floorboards creaking underneath him. He reached into the closet and pulled out the warmest blanket he could find. He liked her, a lot. He wasn't going to mention this to her, but he had been following her in the woods. He hoped she liked him too, a little at least. As he walked back outside, he was scared that he wouldn't impress her. He had done his best and all, but it didn't seem like she wanted to be here. In fact, why would she want to be here?

When he walked into the shed, he found her fast asleep. She was curled in a ball on her side. Jack slowly walked towards her and laid the blanket on top of her. He sat down next to the bed and began to hum. Gradually, he stopped, leaving her in the barn to sleep. He paced around for a while. He just couldn't sleep. He realized he was tired only when he closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless trance.


End file.
